Stolen Skull Can't Lead To Ill. County Liability, 7th Circ. Says

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois county's coroner cannot be held liable for a former official's "abhorrent" practice of saving his examination subjects' skulls because the conduct itself was illegal and not part of his state-imposed duty to return bodily remains, a split Seventh Circuit panel has ruled.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Crypto Firm BlockFills Gets OK For $3.25M Ch. 11 Sale

By Clara Geoghegan

A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday agreed to approve the $3.25 million sale of cryptocurrency financial technology firm BlockFills to a Belgian digital asset investment group as BlockFills prepares for a Chapter 11 plan confirmation hearing.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Illinois Adds Taxes On Digital Ads, Crypto, Prediction Markets

By Maria Koklanaris

Illinois will tax digital advertising, social media platforms, cryptocurrency, prediction markets and more under a nearly $56 billion budget signed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Scraps American Airlines Toxic Uniforms Suit

By Linda Chiem

The Seventh Circuit said Tuesday that American Airlines employees suing over allegedly toxic uniforms didn't have sufficient expert evidence suggesting the uniforms triggered their allergic reactions and other health symptoms, rejecting their bid to invoke the legal doctrine of res ipsa loquitur to infer a defect or negligence.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Judge Won't Revisit Order On Ed. Dept. School Grants

By Joyce Hanson

A federal judge in Seattle will not reconsider her decision declining to enforce an earlier order barring the U.S. Department of Education from ceasing school mental health grants, saying Washington and other plaintiff states have not shown that the court erred.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Won't Nix Minor's Guardian In Ethiopia Crash Suit

By Mike Curley

An Illinois federal judge won't remove a court-appointed independent guardian for the minor child of a victim of the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, saying the litigation behavior of the child's grandparents in opposing the appointment has only reinforced the need for one.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fannie, Freddie AI Rules Raise Stakes For Mortgage Lenders

Artificial intelligence governance frameworks recently released by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac impose monitoring and vendor oversight standards on mortgage lenders, potentially reshaping secondary-market eligibility, fair lending reviews and risk management as compliance deadlines approach, says Brendan Palfreyman at Harris Beach.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

The Paradoxical Duty To Adopt AI When You Can't Bill For It

Both billing for hours saved using artificial intelligence and preserving billable time by not adopting AI may violate rules of professional conduct, but until bar associations' ethics rules catch up to this emerging economic dilemma, firms must decide how to adjust fee structures themselves, says Ines Lassalle at Peyrot & Associates.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

K&L Gates Adds Ex-DOJ Atty, WH Cyber Director Office's GC

By Jack Rodgers

The former acting general counsel for the White House's Office of the National Cyber Director, who most recently worked as U.S. digital currency counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, has joined K&L Gates LLP as a partner.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Halts Clayton Director Hearing Over Blue-Slip Dispute

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump directed Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, not to appear for his confirmation hearing Wednesday on his nomination to be director of national intelligence, in part over a blue-slip issue.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Full Fed. Circ. To Hear Immigration Judges' Firing Challenge

By Ganesh Setty

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed to conduct en banc review over the firing of two immigration judges, after the Merit Systems Protection Board ruled that they constituted inferior officers who are subject to at-will removal by the president.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Winston Taylor Fills Leadership Roles In DC, Miami, Europe

By Madison Arnold

Winston Taylor announced Wednesday that it made senior appointments across four major commercial centers around the globe.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

No Discipline For DOJ Atty's 'Lapse Of Judgment' In ICE Case

By Emily Sawicki

A Rhode Island federal prosecutor who knowingly withheld information about a detainee's criminal history at the behest of immigration enforcement, leading to an "unfounded attack" against a federal judge by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the detainee's release, violated his duty of candor but will not face discipline, the district's chief judge determined.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »